Soaping Anyone?

[Marilyn]

Does anyone on here make their own soap?? I've been researching it, and if all goes as planned this evening, I'm going to try to make my first batch using a very basic recipe. If I don't get the whole thing done, I at least want to get my lye mixed with the water and get my mold ready.

I love to bake, and want so badly to learn to do really nice cake decorating. However, we don't want the baked goods around the house. I'm thinking I can do the creative things that I want to try, only with homemade soap. If you research it, you can make all kinds. Natural soaps that are just good for your skin with coconut oil and oatmeal and such, or you can get fancy and use colors and scents and molds or layer or swirl to make some really neat effects.

Anyone done any of this??

[Janet]

I haven't tried it, but it sounds fun.

[Marilyn]

I did it!!!! I made soap, I think. It was hard to tell when it was done. I'm hoping that it will turn out. I didn't burn me when it got on my skin (caustic burn) so I think it will be okay. It's already setting up in my mold (a paste board box lined with freezer paper). I'm doing this very low budget to start just to see if I can do it. Tomorrow I get to take the soap out of the mold and cut it into bars. Then the bars have to cure for 30 days before we can use the soap.

Here's the recipe that I used.

39 oz. olive oil
24 oz. coconut oil
18 oz. palm oil
28 oz. cold distilled water
12 oz. lye

You mix the lye and water, let it cool because there is a heat of reaction that occurs, plus it fumes, so you have to be very careful doing this. I did it very carefully in the backyard while wearing goggles and gloves. Can't be too careful with dangerous stuff.

Then you melt the solid oils and blend in the olive oil. When the oils are at 110 deg F and the lye water is at room temperature, you slowly add the lye water while you stir. Then I used a stick blender until it had reached what I think is full trace, then I poured it into my prepared mold.

Nothing fancy this batch, just basic stuff to see what happens.

I can't wait to see what it looks like tomorrow evening when I remove it from the mold. I used the website www.millersoap.com in case anyone is interested. It is Kathy Miller's classic soap recipe.

I remember my great aunt who made her own lye soap used rain water to make it & bacon grease. I might try using lard to make a batch. It's supposed to make the best soap, and here in So. TX, lard is very easy to find at any grocery.

[Janet]

From your description Marilyn, it sounds like you had a great time making the soap. I couldn't help when you said you did part of it in the back yard picturing a cauldron and your neighbors peeking through their windows...LOL.

I hope it turns out well. To tell you the truth, now that you've explained part of it, I don't think it sounds like something I would want to try.

I still want to try making jewelry, but just never enough time.

[Marilyn]

No cauldron used!!! I used a 1 gallon rubbermaid pitcher to mix the lye. I was wearing yellow rubber gloves and goggles. I spread out a trash bag on the grass, put the pitcher on the bag, added the lye and stirred it with a long handled stainless steel spoon while holding my head to the side because of the fumes. There was a couple on their back porch across the golf course from me that I know was wondering what in the world I was doing!! I could barely hear them talking and I could see that they were looking my way. I told hubby about them, and he said they probably thought I was mixing something to make drugs. My girls are afraid someone will get suspicious and call the law on me.

Hubby is really sensitive to smells and did not want me smelling up the house. Most people cover their stove and mix the lye under their vent hood, but he wanted no chance of any fumes in the house.

Now that I've done it, it's not nearly so bad. I could do it without the trash bag and goggles. I just wasn't sure what to expect. I'll try to post some pic's when I get it out of the mold and cut. It actually looks pretty good this morning, and smells nice.

[Janet]

We also want pics of you in your goggles and gloves...

[Dobie]

I have a friend who turned her little soap making hobby into a nice little side business. She sells online and at bazaars - it's not enough to quit her day job - but it covers the expenses of making the soap and puts Christmas/birthday money in her pocket.

[DianaB]

There was a relative of my son-in-law that used to make soap and sold it on e-bay. She would use the plastic thingys that hold cookies in the packages for soap molds. They always have a nice design to them. I don't know if she used them over or not. I just found a couple of bars that she made in the bathroom and have been using them. I think that's a really cool hobby. You might check on e-bay for books that have ideas and recipes in them. I know that you can put oatmeal and other stuff in them.

You probably wouldn't want to have the lye around your stove. My sister-in-law and I made hominy one time and the recipe called for lye to remove the outside covering of the corn kernel and then you rinse and rinse and rinse it. Anyway, back to my point, I did get lye on the chrome part of my stove and it discolored it. Please be careful with that stuff!!!

[Taurus Babe]

Cool guys! I've made soap from glycerin, but I guess that's kind of cheating. I would love to make it from scratch! It's so fun. I used the soap I made fro xmas presents and such, then I had to stop making it cause we had too mcuh soap...I couldn't give it away fast enough.

[Marilyn]

Here are pics of my soap. I'm really pleased with the results. Now we just have to let it cure for 30 days before we can try using it. I wish I had taken a pic of the big piece before cutting. I'm showing my cutting in progress and the finished bars. I will need to work on bar size uniformity, but for my first try, I was very pleased. The soap looks very smooth and creamy and has a very very light coconut scent from the coconut oil. Now that I know I can do this, I'm ready to experiment a little. I want to make a bar with oatmeal and ginger. I may also infuse some green tea in the olive oil. I want to venture into trying some essential oils and color in future batches.

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[Marilyn]

Originally Posted by Taurus Babe

Cool guys! I've made soap from glycerin, but I guess that's kind of cheating. I would love to make it from scratch! It's so fun. I used the soap I made fro xmas presents and such, then I had to stop making it cause we had too mcuh soap...I couldn't give it away fast enough.

I can see having too much soap being a problem. As you can see, my first batch is 28 bars. Most of my friends use shower gel. May have to send some to you ladies. My experiments could cause a soap overload around here. LOL

[DianaB]

I think that it's really cute that you're making soap, Marilyn!! You'll have to get some baskets and fix them up with your special soaps and give them as gifts. My daughter gave me one and I just loved it!!! I have a recipe for bath salts that you could add to your basket of soaps! It's very easy!!!

(Yee Haw!!!! This was my 5,000 post!!!!!!!)

[Tink]

Ok someone has to say it...

Wow Marilyn, at least you found a project that's good "clean fun"!

[AngieDoogles]

Wow Marilyn, that looks like a neat hobby. Glad you're having some creative fun!

[HALEY]

my girlfriend makes soaps and candles i just love them, my favorite soap is somekind of oatmeal soap she makes, i use it in the winter time it makes my skin so soft.